“It was terrifying”: an Iranian student recounts his flight to Canada in the middle of a conflict

Ghaderi, a 35 -year -old doctoral student at the University of Alberta, and his wife went to Iran last month to visit their family. However, The couple was still there when the conflict between Israel and Iran broke out on June 13.

“The very first day of the war, we heard bombing and planes fly at low altitude. However, It was terrifying, “he said during an interview.

“The members of my wife’s family, her nieces and nephews, were there and they were crying … In addition, The noise was horrible,” he said about their experience in Zanjan, a city about 300 kilometers northwest of Tehran.

Mr. Moreover, Ghaderi is one of the many Iranians living in Canada who were affected by the war that broke out when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear installations. Moreover, senior military officials, and that Iran retaliated by his own strikes. Nevertheless, A ceasefire was announced on Tuesday, after the United States launched strikes against key nuclear installations in Iran.

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At the beginning of the week, Tehran said that 606 people were killed in Iran in the conflict, and that 5,332 people were injured. At least 28 people were killed in Israel and more than 1,000 were injured, according to authorities in this country.

Ottawa urged Canadians in Iran to leave the country if they can do so safely. stressing that its ability to provide consular services in “it terrifying”: iranian student recounts this country is “extremely limited”.

Mr. Ghaderi said that he. his wife had decided to leave Iran by a land border after the cancellation of all the flights at the start of the conflict. They traveled seven hours in a van before spending in Türkiye. All interior flights in Türkiye have been complete for several days. so they had to take several buses between different Turkish cities for about 28 hours to Istanbul.

“I no longer felt my legs,” he said about this long trip.

Mr. Ghaderi. his wife finally took a flight to Edmonton from Istanbul via Paris and Toronto, where they landed on June 23.

“On the one hand. I was happy during the trip, because at least my wife and I were safe,” he said. But on the other hand. I felt very bad, because my little brother is still in Iran, just like my parents. ”

“it terrifying”: iranian student recounts

Sara Shani. president of the Iranian student association of the University of Alberta, said that she knew that around 15 university students were blocked in Iran when they visited their family.

Ms. Shani added that some of the University’s 500 Iranian students are already faced with financial difficulties. because their families who have remained in the country cannot support them, either because they have lost their income and property during the conflict, or because they cannot transfer money to Canada.

“When the Internet was sort of cut into Iran … It has become extremely difficult for families to send money. and in addition to that, many companies were closed “it terrifying”: iranian student recounts during the war,” she said.

“Some have even been destroyed by Israeli air strikes … The Iranian economy is now lower than before.”

Shani said he had difficulty contacting his own family in Iran during the war.

“Many of us did not know if our families were safe,” she said.

Iran is an important source of international students in Canada. According to government data, more than 8,000 study permits were granted to students in this country in 2023.

“Most Iranian students in Canada have left their country recently to study here. so our links with Iran are still very strong,” explains Shani, who arrived in Canada in 2023 to pursue computer science studies.

“Our families stayed there and I think that, emotionally, we are still in Iran.”

The community also has mixed feelings concerning the strikes against the leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary “it terrifying”: iranian student recounts Corps. which “continues to be a source of oppression for Iranians both inside Iran,” said Ali Nejati, president of the Humber College Iranian student association in Toronto.

“Many of us feel relief from the weakening of an armed arm as violent of the regime. We hoped that justice was done in a court. that the extent of their crimes is revealed and that they were held responsible by international legal paths, “he wrote in a statement.

“We also recognize that war is never a desirable solution. Many of our members are concerned about the consequences of a new escalation. ”